On September 8, 1915, a German Zeppelin commanded by Heinrich Mathy, one of the great airship commanders of World War I, hits Aldersgate in central London, killing 22 people and causing £500,000 worth of damage.

The Zeppelin, a motor-driven rigid airship, was developed by German inventor Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in 1900. Although a French inventor had built a power-driven airship several decades before, the von Zeppelin-designed rigid dirigible, with its steel framework, was by far the largest airship ever constructed. However, in the case of the zeppelin, size was exchanged for safety, as the heavy steel-framed airships were vulnerable to explosion because they had to be lifted by highly flammable hydrogen gas instead of non-flammable helium gas.

The Germans enjoyed great success with the Zeppelin over the course of 1915 and 1916, terrorizing the skies over the British Isles. The first Zeppelin attack on London came on May 31, 1915; it killed 28 people and wounded 60 more. By May 1916, the Germans had killed a total of 550 Britons with aerial bombing.

One of the best-known Zeppelin pilots was Heinrich Mathy, born in 1883 in Mannheim, Germany. Flying his famed airship L13 on September 8, 1915, Mathy dropped his bombs on the Aldersgate area of central London, causing great damage by fire and killing 22 people.

The following summer, Mathy piloted a new Zeppelin, the L31 in more attacks on London on the night of August 24-25, 1916. His ship was damaged upon landing; while he was waiting for repairs to be made, Mathy received word that the British had managed for the first time to shoot down a Zeppelin, using incendiary bullets. Shortly after that, Mathy wrote pessimistically: "It is only a question of time before we join the rest. Everyone admits that they feel it. Our nerves are ruined by mistreatment. If anyone should say that he was not haunted by visions of burning airships, then he would be a braggart." True to his prediction, Mathy’s L31 was shot down during a raid on London on the night of October 1-2, 1916. He is buried in Staffordshire, in a cemetery constructed for the burial of Germans killed on British soil during both World Wars.

The First Battle of the Marne - The Far Northwestern Front.
==Joffre orders Maunoury to send his exhausted cavalry to outflank the right wing of Kluck’s 1st Army [early] - an attempt by Maunoury’s 6th Army to turn the far right wing of the German 1st Army bogs down [by early afternoon] - Maunoury’s center takes Etrépilly only after heavy loss; the Moroccans on his right take Vareddes and drive the Germans across the Marne - Gallieni and Maunoury reluctantly agree that 6th Army has failed to break the German right and must go on the defensive [afternoon] - Maunoury informs Joffre that 6th Army’s counteroffensive has failed [evening] - Kluck and his staff are attacked by French dragoons, but drive them off with rifle fire [evening]

The First Battle of the Marne - The BEF and Northwestern Fronts.
==OHL finally becomes aware of the dangerous gap that’s developed between the German 1st and 2nd Armies [morning] and calls in troops from Antwerp and Maubeuge to fill it - the left flank of French 5th Army advances slowly toward Montmirail [afternoon] - after clashing with the German 1st Army at the Petit Morin, the BEF begins to cross the river [200.PM], reaching the south bank of the Marne after a cautious advance [evening] - OHL staff officer Hentsch reaches 2nd Army’s headquarters (see OHL below): Bülow warns that his right is about to give way and recommends that 1st and 2nd Armies retreat before it’s too late [evening] - French 5th Army’s left wing takes Marchais-en-Brie in hard fighting [late evening], turning the right flank of the German 2nd Army: the German right wing is temporarily in grave danger

The First Battle of the Marne - The Central Front.
==A powerful surprise attack by Hausen’s 3rd Army [300.AM] drives back the right wing of Foch’s 9th Army and takes Fère Champenoise - the French right wing steadies and holds off attacks by 3rd Army [midmorning]; fierce fighting at Fère Champenoise - Foch barely holds off strong attacks on his center [from noon]; French 9th Army is badly mauled
==French 4th and 3rd Armies hold off renewed German attacks - the German Crown Prince’s 5th Army attacks the small French fort at Troyon [morning] to Sep 12, attempting to cut off Verdun from the east

The First Battle of the Marne - Lorraine.
==Moltke finally calls off Rupprecht’s offensive in Lorraine
==The French retake Ste Genevieve north of Nancy, finding the village strewn with 2000 German corpses

The First Battle of the Marne - French Headquarters (GQG).
==Joffre issues Special Number Order 19 [700.PM], changing the his main effort from his far left to the Marne: 6th Army is ordered to hold, and the BEF and 5th Army are to advance north to split the German right

The First Battle of the Marne - German Headquarters (OHL).
==The bewildered Moltke sends staff officer Hentsch to visit the German Armies and ascertain the situation [1100.AM] (see Northwestern Fronts above)

On the night of the 8th both the 1st and IInd Corps crossed the Petit Morin, the IIIrd Corps remained south of the river, the head of the 4th Division at Le Corbier and the 19th Infantry Brigade at Signy-Signets. The 1st Middlesex, of the latter, had moved out of La Haute Maison at 3.30 a.m. to take up positions for an attack on the high ground about Pierre Levee; the Battalion held the centre of the line, with the Cameronians on the right and the R.W. Fusiliers on the left. The enemy had, however, withdrawn during the night, and the Brigade moved on towards Signy-Signets, the 1st Middlesex as advanced guard.

On reaching the high ground immediately S. of Signy-Signets, large forces of the enemy's infantry were seen retiring N.N.W., though too far off for the guns to reach them, but hostile cavalry were nearer and to the east of the general line of retirement. It was fairly evident that the enemy held the line of the Marne River. The 1st Battalion, however, moved forward in a northerly direction along the road which divides Signy from Signets, until the high ground overlooking the Marne was reached. Here the Battalion deployed, but scarcely had the Middlesex got into position when heavy shell fire was opened on them, the shells falling principally on the line of the road along which the Battalion advanced. This fire caught the Battalion First-line Transport, killing nine horses and riddling a water cart with shrapnel. The Battalion must also have been under considerable shell fire, for three N.C.Os. and other ranks were killed and some thirty wounded. The Middlesex men, however, remained in possession of the high ground, and later the Royal Welsh Fusiliers moved down towards La Ferté, where skirmishes with the enemy took place. On British guns coming into action, the enemy's artillery was more or less silenced. The high ground was held by the Middlesex throughout the night of the 8th-9th without incident, but rifle and artillery fire was heard on the right flank, where the 12th Brigade (4th Division) was attacking La Ferté in order to gain the Marne crossings. The 1st Battalion apparently bivouacked on the positions taken up, Headquarters billeting in Signy-Signets.